The role of infarct location in DWI-ASPECTS 0-5 acute stroke patients treated with thrombectomy

Objective: To determine whether hemisphere involvement and infarct location on the Alberta Stroke Program CT Score (ASPECTS) score template should serve as predictors of 90-day clinical outcome in acute ischemic stroke patients with pretreatment diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI)-ASPECTS 0-5 treated with thrombectomy.

Methods: We analyzed data of all consecutive patients included in the Endovascular Treatment in Ischemic Stroke (ETIS) registry between January 1, 2012 and January 31, 2018 who presented with a pretreatment DWI-ASPECTS 0-5 score and underwent thrombectomy. Multivariable analyses were performed in order to identify the role of infarct location and hemisphere involvement on good outcome defined by a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score 0-2 at 90 days and on the whole distribution of mRS (shift analysis).

Results: 344 patients with a DWI-ASPECTS 0-5 (median 4, IQR, 3-5) were included. Neither infarct location nor hemisphere involvement were found to be independent predictor...